Industry Partnerships – LEAP Employer – Educator Compact

In 2012, a group consisting of presidents from all sectors of higher education initiated the LEAP Employer-Educator Compact, an effort to bring together college presidents and leading employers of college graduates in order to support the goals of the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ LEAP (Liberal Education & America’s Promise) initiative. At a forum held in Washington, D.C., last April, more than 200 leaders in business, higher education and the nonprofit sector gathered to endorse the compact, which affirms their shared commitment to 1) the learning college students most need both for the economy and for democracy; 2) 21st-century designs for high-quality, hands-on learning that prepare students to deal with complexity, diversity and change; and 3) the development of meaningful evidence about students’ actual achievement in college.

At CSUN, the compact has gained traction with two longtime CECS partners: Aerojet Rocketdyne and Boston Scientific. To some extent, though, it is merely putting a formal name to what both companies have been doing for some time.